Long Time Coming
by FearTheMightyPen
Summary: Kakashi told me I would change. I didn't believe him. Kakashi told me not to loose sight of myself... and I did... how can I face the people who love me, when I can't even comprehend loving myself? SASUNARU, NARUSASU, NARUSASUSAKU, YAOI, BISEXUAL


**Title: **Long Time Coming

**Pairing: **Naru/Sasu, Sasu/Naru, eventually Naru/Sasu/Saku, side helpings of Naru/Sai and a fleeting mention of Maru/Sasu

**Rating: **This chapter: PG-13, Overall: M

**Warning: **Yaoi, Het, threesome, bisexual relationships, angst, death, spoilers for chapters 380 and beyond, and Orochimaru. What? He's creepy enough to deserve his own warning...

**Summary: **No one knew the reason behind why Sasuke left... well, no one except for Koharu, Homaru, Tsunade, and Kakashi that is. Now that Sasuke's mission's over, will he be able to put the horrors of his past at Otogakure behind him? Will Naruto accept that he's back without being informed about the mission? These are questions Sasuke faces as he debates returning to Konoha. However, his decision's made for him after word reaches both him and Sakura about the threat of Itachi awaiting Naruto's unsuspecting team. Can they manage to put their past behind them and move on? Or will the bonds Sasuke broke and trod upon bring them all to ruin?

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto, Sasuke and Naruto would be screwing like rabbits, Sakura would be observing and sometimes joining in, Lee would shave his eyebrows, Itachi would admit to his girliness, Orochimaru would cross-dress, Gai would wear underwear, and the Kyuubi would be obsessed with chasing cats… aren't you glad I _don't_ own Naruto?

**AN:** Yeah, sorry it sucks xD this isn't beta'd (still searching for one) and just in general, this chapter doesn't have much interesting stuff in it. However, hopefully it'll kick up from here!!

**Chapter One**

It was raining.

It wasn't that kind of rain that felt like it was washing everything clean, clearing away the proverbial mud obscuring one's vision, or wiping away the painful memories of the past. No, it was the kind that stung every time it hit the skin, mocking, blinding, and making things so clear they were painful, even if one knew the truth behind them.

In a matter of moments the clear water of the river was clouded with the bombardment of a million little drops of water reuniting with it. The gray of the rocks was died a deep black, and it seemed that the statues of the two warriors watching over the waterfall were crying, water running down their cracked cheeks and pooling in the various dips, ledges, and body-shaped imprints recently shaped out of the rocky landscape. Dirt was turned to mud in a matter of seconds, misplacing footing and causing a few small landslides to already take place.

Dark hair was plastered to a pale forehead, the normally blue-black strands as dark as night under the onslaught, the strands obeying gravity for a few grave seconds, as if just a small part of his body was clinging to any semblance of reality as his mind floated off into space. Charcoal-black eyes that had previously been a varying shade of gray, dancing with the hints of far off emotions, stared unseeing down at the blond, tanned body lying deathly still in front of him. There was no breath lifting the ribcage in normal, healthy intervals, and only the small twitch of a vein in the side of a well-muscled neck betrayed the fact that the boy in front of Sasuke was still alive.

It shouldn't have turned out like this, with Sasuke standing exhausted over the body of his best friend, his shoulder aching and burning from the cursed seal. He was supposed to make it over the border, he was supposed to just slip into Orochimaru's arms and leave Naruto behind, he hadn't planned for Naruto catching up, and for him to slow down, waiting for him, wanting to fight… needing to see once and for all who was the stronger one. And now… now he had to stop, he had to leave behind his last tie to Konoha and wait for that slowly approaching chakra energy to finally happen across his location. He had to make sure that Naruto was alive, and he had to say his goodbyes to the village that had raised him.

The crackle of sandals against gravel assaulted Sasuke's finally tuned ears, and he turned slowly, the blankness in his eyes betraying the utter physical and mental drain he was suffering from. Kakashi could have just snuck up behind him, soundlessly and wordlessly, and slit his throat, but by betraying his location, he was gently persuading the youth towards speaking to him, telling him of the situation. Sasuke watched as Kakashi's visible eye trailed from his own form towards Naruto's, lingering on the rip in his shirt as he seemed to check the boy's vitals just by glancing at him.

"He's alive," Sasuke finally said, his voice a hoarse whisper. He wasn't sure when he'd lost it, but there, facing his sensei's evaluating gaze, it was gone, and as soon as he spoke, as soon as he destroyed the silence that had come crashing around him, he felt the exhaustion flood in even more.

"And your mission?" Kakashi asked, holding Sasuke's dead gaze with a serious, calculating gaze of his own.

The Uchiha paused before reaching up towards his forehead, slipping his fingers underneath the forehead protector and pulling it forward, the loosened knot slipping easily off. He held it for a minute, staring into the reflection of someone he didn't know, didn't recognize. Handing over that last tie to the village was hard, and Sasuke honestly didn't want to part from it… but keeping such a memento, branding himself with the full status of missing nin (scratched headband and all) wasn't part of the game he was playing. If displaying his loyalty to his village was only possible by throwing away all trace of it, so be it.

He let the cloth and metal combination fall from his fingers to the ground, watching as it clattered to a rest beside Naruto's head, the corners of his eyes tightening as emotion clutched at his chest. "I'm going through with it," he whispered; quiet enough to blend into the rain as a gentle hiss of water. However, Kakashi heard it, and the tension around his eye dissolved, a hint of sadness pulling it down slightly.

"You'll change," he said, moving past the dark-haired youth and scooping Naruto's limp form into his arms as Pakkun threw the headband onto Naruto's chest with a flick of his head before bounding off into the forest, probably going to keep watch. Kakashi turned back towards his student, taking in the sad slump of his shoulders and the slight sign of exhaustion bending his knees.

"I know," Sasuke said from under his bangs, and Kakashi felt a pang of sympathy and regret towards the choice Sasuke had made. But… as a ninja, this sacrifice was necessary. The remaining innocence of one, traumatized boy amounted to nothing in the face of the safety and prosperity of the entire village. It was for reasons like that, like _this_, that made Kakashi quit the ANBU. As much as he was devoted to Konoha… he did still have his morals, amazingly.

Making sure that Naruto settled in his arms a little better, Kakashi met and held Sasuke's eyes, trying to read the emotions sputtering like a dying candle in his eyes. There was no doubt in his mind that the youth, as stubborn and resilient as he seemed to be, would be crushed under the onslaught of horror that awaited him in Otogakure.

"Don't forget who you are," Kakashi said, smiling lightly at the general spark of annoyance that crossed Sasuke's otherwise lifeless face, and mentally kicked himself for being so sentimental and sappy. With one final look at the Uchiha heir, Kakashi allowed himself to slip back into the shadows of the forest, taking off down the fastest path towards the village, keeping a close watch on the jerking rise and fall of Naruto's chest and straining his ears for the sound of the irregular beats of Naruto's heart. He wasn't worried, no… he knew better than to be worried. The fox wouldn't let his vessel die, not if it meant sacrificing his own life as well.

As his feet hit ground, trees, and rocks, chakra sticking to any and all surfaces before propelling him forward, one thought was drumming through his mind, repeating itself with every leap, growing stronger and more disturbing with every passing second. Naruto had been trying to help his friend…

But…

The look on Sasuke's face…

That haunted… dead look…

Had Naruto truly helped?

Or had he doomed them all?

_Had he really helped?_

--------------------------------------------

Spring in Konoha was a wonderful thing. Not only did the flowers emerge, did the sun come back from its vacation and melt away the frost of another winter, but the missions seemed to slow down, and it almost seemed as if they got easier as well. Spring really was amazing, in that sense. And besides, who could hate it with all the little baby animals chasing each other down the streets.

As Hokage, however, all Naruto got to do was sit in a stuffy old office, listening to one of the old council people he'd never bothered to talk to before go on and on about politics and economics, things he had _no_ idea about. That was _Tsunade's_ business. He was just there to lead his team, do paperwork, fight off whatever village was attempting to attack, and keep alliances with Sunagakure and the Land of Snow going strong. After all, Naruto had an uncanny ability of making friends with every antisocial bastard there was, turning them into a _social_ bastard, and then creating life long bonds that almost made them blood relatives.

Well, he'd at least managed to convert _three_ out of four bastards, and that was a passing grade.

Sighing and pushing his Hokage hat further back on his head, Naruto rested his head on his hand heavily, barely keeping his head up into a fairly respectable position as he shamelessly spaced out, staring at two frisky birds flying patterns outside the window, enjoying the sunshine and singing their joy. He had been _that_ close to just making a Kage Bunshin go to the meeting for him… but the last time he'd decided to do that the poor thing had gotten so bored it just dispelled the jutsu, which caused him to end up hanging upside down from the meeting room ceiling. No way was he doing _that_ again.

"Our relations with Suna, militarily, have become nothing short of saying our two villages are basically as one. The Kazekage is as at home in this village as in ours, and the Hokages are always welcome there. As such, I'd like to propose and exchange of genin into the ranks of the military both here and in Sunagakure," at this, Naruto allowed his gaze to be ripped from the playful birds in order to watch Tsunade, who seemed to also have just come out of a daze, if her slightly bleary-eyed expression wasn't due to drinking again. She'd really fallen off the wagon after Jiraiya's death. Not that Naruto had been much better for a while there.

"That would probably help further the unity of the villages," Tsunade finally allowed, and Naruto just snorted under his breath, returning his gaze towards the outside Konoha. However, this time, it was with a little more excitement. He hadn't had his genin team for little more a few weeks, and so far they hadn't been let out of the village (something that had to do with the council being paranoid and Naruto's penchant for attracting danger), so even the slightest chance of going as far as Sunagakure with his genin was going to be _awesome_. "We can send Naruto's team," Tsunade continued, throwing Naruto a quick glance and a smile that made Naruto start to fidget even more, already seeing the endless dunes of the desert, already itching for another fight with Gaara, just to pass the time.

"Absolutely not," Koharu said with little thought, her permanent frown deepening even more than it usually did. Her wrinkled hands appeared from the folds of her sleeves as she placed them on the table, sending chakra through the ancient table to power up the Sandaime's old scrying ball. In it was the chakra imprints from the recent genin missions, the picture switching between teams for both Hokages, the elders, and the few other choice people at the meeting. Naruto wasn't really paying attention, but the flash of pink caused him to glance at the ball, smirking in amusement as he saw Sakura send one of her more annoying charges sailing through the air in her annoyance. "Naruto was given those kids for a reason, Tsunade-hime, and he will keep them. No, I propose we give the sand Shikamaru's team for now, in exchange for Temari's. Both of those kids are well versed with the villages and the differences in politics, and they're slightly more advanced Genin, allowing them more experience with dealing with important political circumstances," Naruto's face visibly fell as he heaved a heavy sigh, returning his gaze towards the village, and Koharu sighed, allowing the glass to return to where three kids, one a redheaded girl and the others two brunet boys, were standing on a bridge talking. "However, we did have a mission come in from Sunagakure concerning a request for a team from Konoha."

Once again, Naruto perked up slightly, deciding that if he had ears they would definitely be standing up, cupped towards the wrinkled old prune that seemed to run Konoha more than the Hokages themselves did. Tsunade thought for a moment, Naruto's eyes tracing and judging her every movement, and as a slight smile spread across her features he swore he felt his heart soar. If the old lady landed him this mission, he was _definitely_ leaving a few crates of sake at her front door.

"C'mon, what is it?" he said, trying _very_ hard not to make his voice as whiny as it wanted to be. A very hard feat indeed. "Don't make me go and find it," he threatened, knowing that whenever he did attempt to find a filed paper he ended up destroying half of the Konoha records library in his impatience. He just didn't get the filing system there!

Tsunade winced, and Naruto smirked at her triumphantly, ignoring the warning glare she sent him as he leaned forward in his seat, waiting for the brief on the mission.

"Suna just got a request for a team of Genin and their Jounin for a C-Rank mission," Tsunade said, sighing slightly. "Its from a noble, who's sending a genin-equivalent to Suna with a scroll. The thing is, the scroll can't be read without the person it comes with. Some sort of chakra lock, or something. What you need to do is accompany the ninja to the other side of the Land of Waterfalls and into the wilderness. There's no threat of missing nin of any sort being after the scroll, but the bandits in the Land of Waterfalls and the various danger of the wilderness beyond is a problem."

"So why is Konoha going?" Naruto asked, brow furrowing slightly in confusion, it seemed like a simple enough mission for Suna to handle alone.

"Well, there are two reasons," Tsunade continued, nodding absently to the few council members who were starting to take their leave of the meeting hall. "One is that Konoha ninja are more focused on stealth, and they know how to fight in a forest better than sand ninja, who rely on their own topography and more empty spaces to fight. Also… the request was _for_ a Konoha ninja, but was sent to Suna because its slightly closer."

Naruto stared at his team still reflected in the scrying ball for a moment, inwardly debating with the logistics of the mission, what he knew about his team's progress and strengths, and the general vibes of weird he was getting about the entire situation.

"Its too easy," he finally admitted, lips tightening into a hard line as he drummed his fingers on the table in front of him, watching as the taller boy slipped a feel on the girl, slight feelings of affection clutching at his chest as the girl turned around and threw the boy into the river. Ah, that was his team all right… all strength, intelligence, and endless spunk. "But I think I'll take the mission on," he finally said, glancing up at Tsunade, his eyes sparking in determination and excitement. The female Hokage just chuckled, knowing that no one was going to persuade Naruto otherwise just now.

"Get your team ready for at least a few months of travel. I'll get the mission brief to you once its completed and sorted out a little more," she said, and as soon as her heavy chair was pushed back from the table, signifying the official end of the meeting, Naruto disappeared in a whirl of cloth and leaves (he had finally figured out Kakashi's technique), leaving the window open and letting a slight breeze rustle the papers in the room.

"He is quite the energetic one, isn't he?" Homaru murmured from his place next to Koharu, who just sighed and shook her head, following her teammate and the Hokage out of the normal exit, refusing to give herself even more white hairs over the runt who'd manage to worm himself into the office of Hokage.

--------------------------------------------

The small alley was dark and musty, dust and sand swirling upward to block out the small rays of sun as a heavy cloak swept across the ground. The figure wrapped within the fabric was tall and pale, hair blending in with the darkness of the walls and skin seeming to glow with a light of its own. He walked with a purpose, footsteps falling silently on the dried earth as he made his way to the back end of the alley, where a lump of cloth seemed to have been thrown. As he moved forward, chakra cushioning the fall of his feet instinctually, the mound of cloth shifted before unfurling itself, two thin, tanned arms emerging from the dark fabric to stretch upward in a silent yawn. A head emerged soon afterward, bald and wrinkled, and a near-toothless mouth gaped open as the yawn finally came.

The dark-haired young man stopped in his tracks, waiting patiently for the man to finish yawning in front of him, not even flinching when cataract claimed eyes turned towards his direction, flickering over his shoulders before finally coming to rest on his eyes.

"That's some interesting chakra you have there," the man said, voice dry from the air and cracked with age. A cheeky smile flitted across his face as he stood, cloth falling around him as he hobbled forward, blind eyes still fixated on the man in front of him. "Do you have a name to go with it?" he asked, stopping in front of the taller man, his old form gnarled and bent, but his face still tilted up, eyes still fixated on that bizarre chakra he was seeing with them.

A twitch of the lips was all the man got at first… coupled with a momentary flare of chakra from the younger man. Eventually, however, after a few seconds of waiting for the other to move first, the dark-haired man closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if he was trying to remember just how to speak. "Sasuke… Uchiha Sasuke," he finally whispered, and opened his eyes, the black bleeding into red as one swirl appeared, melting into two and then into three as he poured more chakra into his eyes. The man inhaled sharply, reaching up to run a calloused finger down the side of Sasuke's face gently.

"Uchiha…" he murmured, sightless eyes wide as he took in that news. A smile slowly spread across his face, and the years seemed to fly away until there was a man with a straight back and bright eyes standing in front of Sasuke's tall, cloaked figure. "I've been waiting for this day. Come," he quickly turned on heel, no longer hobbling like a crippled old man as he stepped up to the wall at the end of the alley, passing through it with a slight ripple. Sasuke paused for a second before following, allowing the building to swallow him whole, placing his life in the hands of the old man.

One hour later, the alley and the surrounding buildings were vacant once more, the dust settling after a final figure had disturbed them. Deep in the back of that dark alley, a man was turning into dust, the chakra and the seals weaved into his body finally allowing him to rest, dying with a peaceful, a fulfilled smile upon his face.

Sasuke lifted his hood around his face, hiding his pale complexion and swirling red eyes from the eyes of the tanned throng around him. A scroll was tucked firmly in his yukata, pressed against his chest almost comfortingly. As he melted into the crowd again, allowing himself to be swallowed by it, he allowed his mind to drift slightly, forgetting to pad his feet with chakra and to move quickly and purposefully through the crowd. Today, he allowed himself to relax, for today he was one step closer towards his goal. One step closer… to going home.

--------------------------------------------

As Naruto finally landed on a tree branch above a small stream, he allowed himself a small smile, placing his hands on his hips as he stared down at the small group below him. In so many ways his three young charges reminded him of a younger team seven. There was Akane, the tomboy genius with a temper to rival Sakura's, Keiji, the slightly perverted, hyperactive brunette with a kekkei genkai leaning towards summons, and Sano, a reserved weaponry expert with a rather… interesting background. In fact, all three of his genin had different aspects that made him, the Hokage carrying the Kyuubi, the only one to teach them.

As for his team, Akane was currently walking along the guardrail of the stream, the very picture of boredom as she placed one foot in front of the other, arms held straight out to the sides. Keiji was currently sitting in a dejected little slump off to the side, dripping wet from his previous dip into the stream, and Sano was sitting on the other guardrail, watching Akane carefully, knowing full well that the girl was perfectly capable of falling off and taking her own little dip into the stream. Out of all of them, only Sano had mastered walking on water.

Naruto watched, a slight fond smile on his face, until Akane looked up, eyes searching the trees until they lighted on his figure. He saw the smile light up her eyes before she placed her own hands on her hips, mirroring his position with a stern look on her face.

"Naruto-sensei! You're _late_!" she accused, causing Sano's head to snap up in confusion before he saw Naruto's figure. Keiji followed him up a second later, running towards the blond as he jumped out of the tree and landed on the bridge.

"Senseiii," he whined, holding out his arms and gesturing to the sodden material hanging from them. "Akane threw me into the stream! Again!"

"You tried to feel me up again! Sensei, tell Keiji he can't sexually harass me!" the redhead huffed, turning a pleading gaze towards Naruto.

The blond grinned and winked at Akane before turning back to Keiji, attempting to look slightly stern.

"Now Keiji, no feeling up Akane while I'm not here," he paused, smirked, and then leaned forward slightly towards his shortest charge. "Unless you have the opportunity to get something good, then its perfectly- OW!"

Akane huffed and dusted off her hands, shooting a glare at both Keiji and Naruto, who were currently crouched and rubbing at their foreheads. "Sensei, you're no better than _Kakashi_," she stated, the ultimate insult as far as perving went.

"Aw, Akane, don't be so mean," Naruto whined jokingly, standing up and rubbing at his forehead, looking at each of his charges with a grin threatening to split his face. "Especially when I have some good new for you."

"What? Really?" Akane asked, clasping her hands in front of her and leaning forward, eyes sparkling in anticipation.

"Is it a mission? Something so awesome we're the only team who can handle it?" Keiji offered, leaning forward as well, nearly bouncing up and down in excitement, wet clothes forgotten.

"What is it sensei?" Sano finally put in, his voice soft and almost melodious. Naruto secretly thought that half the reason he was so quiet all of the time was because he was afraid his voice made him sound like a girl… which was almost the truth. Keiji had even teased him about that once.

"You almost got it," Naruto said, smirking at Keiji as the brunet leaped and pumped a fist into the air in a near-silent fit of joy. "Now all of you, sit," he said, hoisting himself up on the guardrail. He waited as Sano and Keiji settled themselves on either side of Akane on the rail opposite him, Keiji sitting a bit further away than he normally would because of the death glare Akane gave him, as if she was daring him to even _try_ to get her wet. "We're going to Suna in order to meet up with a representative from another village. Once we meet with her, we will learn the exact details of the mission and then we will leave the following day for the Land of Waterfalls," he let the information set in for a moment, matching the excited grins Akane and Keiji were shooting at him. "Yeah, I know, big trip, huh? Well, we'll be escorting our client from Suna to a small hidden village in the middle of the wilderness. As you know, we aren't really the team best built for speed or stealth, but since I'm the Hokage and this will be the first anyone has ever heard of a hidden village in the wilderness, we'll have to make due with our own strengths and weaknesses."

At this point, Naruto sighed, spacing out slightly as he stared at the water behind his team, a slight frown pulling at his face. Tsunade had assured the council that there would be no dangers beyond what a genin team would face, and that it was about time that Naruto's team got out on the field… but… the three genin were too inexperienced to be of any use in case they found themselves in the midst of an enemy ninja attack. Overall, it meant he would actually have to plan out their moves, and pull a few all-night study sessions with Shikamaru, Tsunade, Kakashi, and Sai, probably with Kage Bunshin.

As long as he was on the subject…

Quickly forming the hand seals for the Kage Bunshin, Naruto separated his chakra into five separate parts, creating four Kage Bunshins who instantly took off towards different parts of the village, intent on hunting down the aforementioned ninja, even if it meant risking getting punched in the face or kunaied out of annoyance.

"All right guys," Naruto said, grinning at his three genin. "Time to get to it."

--------------------------------------------

It turned out that Naruto's team was traveling with Shikamaru's to Suna, meaning that watching six hyperactive genin going towards a foreign hidden village was almost equivalent to trying to potty train a bunch of monkeys… especially when Naruto's team was concerned. However, they somehow managed to get to Suna unscathed, and Naruto even managed to get Shikamaru to take care of his team for a bit by promising that his genin would behave when finally meeting the Kazekage face to face. Of course, the look he gave Shikamaru when the fellow Jounin opened his mouth to protest, clearly said "Hokage business, butt out" and that had been the end to that argument.

As such, Naruto had managed to sneak away from his team without being bombarded with questions from Keiji and Akane, and was currently strolling nonchalantly down the streets of Suna, fingers laced behind his head and a goofy grin on his face. Tsunade really was a tricky lady, giving him a slight side "mission" to perform in Suna, which involved giving an old scroll on ancient seals to a wealthy scroll collector. It wasn't anything like a conspiracy against Suna, Naruto had been given permission to look at it, but the lady wanted the scroll, and Naruto was going to give it to her.

As soon as he rounded the corner depositing him in front of Suna's leading casino, Naruto picked out the noble lady immediately, simply from the way she balked and blinked at him, not bothering to mask the way she suddenly picked him out of the small crowd and followed his movements to her.

Naruto, similarly, couldn't take his eyes off the woman either. As he walked forward, his brow furrowed slightly as he studied her. She wasn't the common noblewoman, even if she looked the part. Her hair was messily layered and black as night, hanging into her face and onto her shoulders in a thick mane, looking utterly delicious and completely messy at the same time. Her eyebrows were thin and as dark as her hair, framing dark blue eyes with pupils so large he almost mistook her eyes for black. Her skin had an almost deathly pallor to it, blending in with the creamy white fabric of her dress. The dress was high-collared with a diamond cut out of it just above her breasts, showing a generous amount of cleavage. There was a slit near her hip as well, showing off the creamy expanse of rather well shaped legs. Over all, as soon as Naruto met her challenging gaze, he felt an almost overwhelming lust for her, the likes of which he hadn't felt in _years_

"Yo," he said, stopping in front of the woman leaning nonchalantly against the wall, granting her a lopsided smile before patting his coat. "Think I have something of yours here, right?"

"You're the delivery boy from Konoha?" she asked in a dark voice, smooth and sultry and laced with a sense of déjá vu that made a shiver run down his back. The woman arched an eyebrow and raked her eyes over his form, taking in the black and orange jacket he was so fond of and the typical black mission pants Jounin normally wore. He probably wasn't looking… or smelling… that good after their three-day trip to Suna, and normally he wouldn't have been bothered by the scrutinizing gaze. This time, however, was different, and Naruto instantly felt self conscious about the shirt sticking out from underneath his jacket, the cooling sheen of sweat on his brow, and the strands of hair he just knew were sticking out everywhere… probably laced with twigs and leaves as well. "Not exactly conventional to send the Hokage, is it?" she asked again, a slight smirk pulling at her lips. For a moment, Naruto's mind flashed to a ghost of a memory of high cheekbones, pale skin, and swirling red eyes. The way the woman's face moved reminded him so much of Sasuke's he suddenly felt like the wind was knocked out of him. She moved her mouth the same way, had the same challenging sparkle to her dark eyes, and even the light fell against the contours of her face the way it did on Sasuke's face, highlighting all the right parts to make said face as so beautiful it was almost sinful.

Swallowing thickly, Naruto grinned shakily and nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets and trying to calm his shaking nerves. This was a _woman_ for God's sakes, and much more voyeur than Sasuke would have been, what with the tops of her breasts and the curve of her thigh open for the world to see.

"Yup, that's me, Konoha's errand boy," he said, chuckling lightly, trying to clear the sudden tension he felt in his body. "Hokage's just a title, after all. Apparently you're never too good to just run an errand, right?"

"Indeed," the woman murmured, narrowing her eyes as she studied Naruto's face, before her eyes traveled to the slight bulge in Naruto's jacket, betraying the presence of the rather thick scroll she had requested. "So how much to I owe you?" she asked, reaching for the purse Naruto hadn't seen slung over her shoulder until she moved for it, flipping it open and grabbing a black wallet out. Naruto instantly shook his head and unzipped his jacket, pulling the scroll out and grinning lightly.

"No fee, Ma'am," he said, holding out the scroll for the woman to take. "After all, this wasn't a mission, just a favor from Tsunade-baachan."

He waited as the woman's slender hand reached out, gripping the scroll, but didn't move his hand away from holding the other side. After all, the woman didn't seem to have a firm grasp on it.

The young woman drew her lip in between her teeth, staring at the scroll as she thought about something. Finally, she glanced upward from beneath her bangs, seeming oddly hesitant over what she was going to ask next. Naruto blinked and let his hand fall away as the woman finally pulled on the scroll, but never broke eye contact.

"Would you… like to join me for a few games, Hokage-san?" she finally asked; voice a mere murmur and a question in her eyes. He could see the turmoil spinning within the dark blue orbs, and was instantly confused about it. It was almost as if she didn't really want to be with him any more, yet… she was asking him to spend time with her? Ahhh, it was too confusing to think about.

"Call me Naruto," the blond said, grin spreading across his face, seeming to spread from ear to ear. "And I'd love to. After all, its not every day that I can blow Tsunade-baachan's money on the pretense of mission expenses, right?"

A smile quirked at the woman's lips as she drew herself up to full height, which was only a few inches below Naruto. The hesitation was gone, and in its place flowed power and confidence, as well as a bit of challenge. She efficiently placed the scroll within her handbag, and held out her hand in front of her, raising a brow as she finally let that smile fight its way onto her face. "Kobayashi Ayako," she finally sang, clasping Naruto's hand and shaking it forcefully. "The woman you're going to loose to," she said, smirking, and then turned on heel, leaving Naruto to grin and follow her, looking forward to the challenge.

--------------------------------------------


End file.
